Our Story

CMI was founded by Jim and Mary Cain on the 19th day of October 1976 when they purchased their first Connecticut location along with its property.

James T. Cain

From his humble beginnings in Providence RI, Jim Cain has cultivated a dynamic business consisting of real estate holdings and business franchises with his two sons, Jim Jr. and Shaun. Moving to Norwalk, CT proved to be an incredible opportunity to cultivate an untouched market within the Dunkin franchise world and over the next 20 years, Jim Cain built his network and developed the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins Brand from 1976-2000 in Fairfield County. Jim has held and continues to hold multiple leadership roles in the Dunkin Brands Corporate world which allow Jim to be a major influencer as well as represent his fellow franchisees in a corporate environment. Currently, Jim is a member of the Regional Advisory Council, the Brand Advisory Council and is the Chairman of the New York Marketing Committee. With these positions and his long tenure in the business, Jim is a vital member of the Dunkin Brands Franchise Community and has an important role in the direction of Dunkin Brand Corporate.

Mary Cain

Upon acquiring their first Dunkin Donut Store in 1976, Mary worked alongside Jim in setting up the Cain Management infrastructure that is currently used and has allowed CMI to flourish throughout the past 50 years. From everything to Store Employee Training Programs to the Development of the Dunkin Product Delivery Trucks, Mary has proven to be an integral part of the foundation of CMI. She formed the Cain Management Human Resources Department by creating and implementing the various systems and programs in the CMI Policy and Procedure Manual and the Employee Informational Handbook . During the mid 1990’s, the growth of CMI required Mary to develop the positions of Manager, Assistant Manager, and Crew by creating Shift Personnel Programs all while she was serving as General Manager, overseeing the development of the network on a store level for each Dunkin, Baskin and Togo’s brand. As Cain Management continued to expand, Mary then took over the task of developing the CMI Corporate Office that functions today by setting up and hiring office personnel, some of which have been with CMI corporate family for over 20 years.

Jim Cain Jr.

Jim Jr. came into the business as an employee in 1994, experiencing every aspect as a CMI team member and eventually advancing to the role as a Partner with his father in 2006. Jim Jr. has always had an aptitude for operational excellence within stores he ran while learning each aspect of the business. As he became an executive within CMI, Jim Jr. has been focusing his efforts on team member relations and the operations aspect of the company. Throughout the many years in the business, Jim Jr has been a member of the Connecticut Lobbyist Group, is an active volunteer on the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins Community Association that raises money for local charities and is the Co-Chairman of the St. Jude Pin-up Promotion and facilitates raising money and building relationship in Fairfield County.

Shaun Cain

Similar to Jim Jr., Shaun entered the business in 1997 as a CMI Team Member, working behind the counter, graduating to store manager and eventually joining the executive team with his father and brother in 2006 with an network acquisition in Queens, NY. Shaun relocated to New York City where he began to expand his network with more store acquisitions, building new DD locations and purchasing available property wherever possible. Shaun won the prestigious Regional Developer of the Year Award in 2014 and was runner up to earn the National Developer Award throughout the entire Dunkin Brands. That same year he won the National Philanthropist of the Year Award for designing the St. Jude Pin Up Promotion involving over 500 stores in the New York, CT and New Jersey area and encompassing over 30 Franchisee Groups. That year, the award winning promotion raised a staggering $400,000 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Shaun also is the Co-Chairman of the NY Franchisee Lobbyist Group, an active volunteer of the DD/BR Community Foundation and is a Board Member of Curetivity, also benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Our Philosophy

At Cain Management, we know we are only as good as our team members and therefore we continue to strive to recruit the best people to interact with our guests on a daily basis. The infrastructure we provide allows new team members to be paired and trained by the best in the business so they can flourish and ultimately be promoted within the CMI company. By fostering the best team from our Network Trainers we are able to optimize the guest experience, provide exceptional customer service and uphold the Dunkin Brand Standard each and every time the guest visits a CMI location. The principals of the company, Jim, Jim Jr and Shaun Cain started as team members themselves, so they are able to recognize the skills required and the steps to take to not only select effective employees but also provide them with the support, motivation and training to excel in this business. This attention to the Team Members that make CMI great has allowed Cain Management to expand and thrive throughout the years.